Revelation 11, the Two Witnesses, and the French Revolution
Did you know that the Bible prophesied the French Revolution and the fact that France would make the Bible illegal for three and a half years? We find the prophecy in Revelation chapter 11. Now, in direct context of this prophecy, the Bible also brings out a prophecy called the 42 months. This is the same thing as the 1260 days. It's the same thing as the three and a half years. It's the same thing as the time, times, and half a time.
Now, before we go any further, we need to lay down the principle that a day in Bible prophecy equals a year of literal time.
You can find this principle in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Notice:
Numbers 14:34 — After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Ezekiel 4:6 — And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
So, the 1260 days, the 42 months, the three and a half years, they all equal out to 1260 literal years. Then, almost immediately in this chapter, the Bible brings out the Two Witnesses. There has been considerable debate, and maybe even controversy, about who these Two Witnesses are. We're going to explain that in this post. It's not Moses and Elijah, or any other person(s).
Remember, Revelation is a highly symbolic book, and given the context of this chapter, the Two Witnesses are symbolic. But what are they symbolic of? First of all, two people cannot live for 1260 years. Even before the flood, at 969 years old, was Methuselah had the oldest recorded human lifespan.
But the Bible gives us some clues about who these are. It says that these Two Witnesses are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks. Now, Bible students, where do you think Revelation 11 verse 4 is quoting from.
I'll give you a hint. It's in the book Zechariah, and the answer is Zechariah chapter 4. Now, in this vision, Zechariah is seeing two candlesticks and a golden lampstand. Interesting is the picture that Zechariah paints here, particularly in verse 11. Notice the language of Zechariah, and its similarity to Revelation 11:
Zechariah 4:11-14 — Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Revelation 11:3-4 — And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
And it says that these two olive trees are both one on one side of the candlestick and the other on the other side of the candlestick. Now, many times in the Bible, the Bible uses oil to represent the Holy Spirit, as well as fire. We see this particularly in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church with tongues of fire on their heads.
Now, when we look in Psalm 119, twice in this chapter, the Bible says likens God’s Word to a lamp and light that helps guides us. Notice:
Psalms 119:105 — Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalms 119:130 — The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
The picture that Zechariah chapter 4 and Revelation 11 is painting for us is that the two witnesses, the two olive trees, is the Word of God. Therefore, the Two Witnesses are not any human figures. They're the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. In addition, the Bible goes on to say that anybody who attacks the Word of God, it will come back on them.
And because it is the Word of God, it carries divine power—power strong enough to shut the heavens so that it does not rain. Scripture itself declares that the Word has this power precisely because it is God’s Word. Just as Elijah, speaking by the Word of the Lord, went before Ahab and declared that there would be no rain for three and a half years, this was meant to teach us a spiritual lesson.
Now, remember, we're speaking of the Bible in context of the French Revolution. And it says that this beast will ascend out of the bottomless pit. It will make war with them. It will overcome them and kill them. And it says their dead bodies will lie in the streets of the city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. We'll come back to that.
And it says that they would be dead for three and a half days. Now, remember, three and a half days, three and a half years. Now, a beast in Bible prophecy, according to Daniel 7:17, 23 and 8:20-21, represents a kingdom. Therefore, we are speaking of a nation here, and the nation we are speaking of is France. Now, why is France spiritually called Sodom and Egypt? It becomes clear when you study the French Revolution. It also becomes very interesting, and it becomes very obvious. France was one of the nations that rejected the Protestant Reformation.
They decided to stay with Catholicism, and as a result, eventually, the people of France got fed up with Catholicism and went their own way. And it eventually got to a point where, as the Sodomites were, they became very sexually immoral with other people. And what about Egypt? Where do we see Egypt in the Bible? In the book of Exodus. Remember what Pharaoh, the king and representative of Egypt, said to Moses? Who is the Lord that I should obey him? I don't know the Lord, and I will not obey him. And France, during the 1700s, was very immoral, and they declared by official decree that they didn't believe in God. In fact, they brought a woman in, and said, “Here's your goddess of reason, worship her.”
But what about the three and a half days, or the three and a half years, where the Old and New Testaments, the two witnesses were laying dead in the streets? In the 1790s, France made a decree basically banning all religion. In fact, in 1793, all places of worship were ordered to be closed. And in 1797, that decree was reversed.
So for three and a half years, religion, and the Bible, was outlawed. However, the Bible says that after three and a half days, or three and a half years, the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them. True to the prophecy, as was already stated, the Bible was made legal again. I want to take this and apply it to modern society.
What does Revelation 11 have to do with us? It happened in the 1700s. So what does it have to do with the 21st century? I did a sermon, you can find it on my YouTube channel, it's called The Rock Strikes the Feet. It's about how God is in control of end-time movements. But in this sermon, we also go through what led up to the French Revolution. It shows how all of those different factors are all present in modern society all over the world, including here, in the United States.
Notice the list of things I found while researching what led to the French Revolution:
Thoughts put forth by enlightenment philosophers
Monetary/Economic Crisis (due to costly wars)
Uncommon Weather and Poor Harvests
Cost of Living Increases
Corrupt Leadership
Government debt
Extravagant royal lifestyles
Financial Crisis of the 1780s
Political Crisis of the 1780s
Now as you can see, one of those elements was thoughts put forth by Enlightenment philosophers; in other words, that religion doesn't matter, God doesn't matter, you can do what you want, if it feels good, do it. I mean, particularly when you study the 20th century of the United States, it is one long process of morality being eroded, and this happened through music, it happened through entertainment, it happened through anti-God stuff. Another one of these factors that led to the French Revolution is the monetary economic crisis, costly wars.
Look at the United States history, we've been at war a lot, and a lot of these wars are bringing upon us that economic crisis that's coming. Another factor, on common weather and poor harvests. Are we seeing that? You better believe it.
Cost of living increases, inflation. Hmm, I wonder if we're seeing that one. I was over hearing some co-workers talk a couple years ago, and they said they were seeing a video about this guy who did a Walmart order, and an order he did a two or three years ago, he did that exact same order again, and it was almost triple the cost.
Corrupt leadership, are we seeing that one? Government debt. I recently heard that the United States debt is at around 35 trillion. Extravagant royal lifestyles.
Financial crisis. Are we in a financial crisis right now, and is a bigger one coming? Political crisis. Friends, the United States is more politically divided and in more political upheaval than ever before since the Revolution.
Friends, what we saw lead up to the French Revolution, all of those factors are present in American society today, and in society the world over. And what we saw happen in the French Revolution is going to happen again the world over. So stay with those Two Witnesses.
Notice this quote from the book Education, p. 228:
At the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only divine, but human. The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of the many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interests and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the world-wide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French Revolution—all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France.
Stay in the Word of God. Stay with the Holy Spirit. Seek Jesus while you still can, because we don't have much longer. What France went through just around 230 years ago, the entire world is about to go through it again, but this time, way worse.
Stay close to Jesus. We cannot afford to give up now.
